Beginnings
by VilyaSage
Summary: [Abyss, oneshot] He pushed his glasses a bit higher on his nose and shook his head. “When I was told I’d be speaking to the Fon Master and his head guardian, I was hardly expecting this.”


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_Spoilers here up until the Planet Score. Enjoy your read! _

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**Beginnings**

Anise groaned in annoyance as she sloshed through yet another puddle. She _hated_ when it rained. Daath was a rather gloomy city even in the sunshine; rain turned it into a horribly depressing picture.

She had been running all the way from the Fourth Monument, too – there were splashes of mud all over her shoes and white stockings. Tokunaga was going to be a watery _mess_ by the time she got back, despite all she was doing to try to keep him dry.

But this was _important_. Anise absolutely _had_ to find Ion before either of them had any chance of running across Grand Maestro Mohs. She would have to tell Mohs eventually, of course, but if she could do it right, could make it look like an error of timing…

Anise was jolted out of her thoughts when she barreled into a couple huddled together under a shop awning, attempting to stay out of the rain. She shouted some sort of hasty apology over her shoulder as she hurried past them. She hardly paid attention to any of the other people she slipped and shoved her way around, either. She was concentrating on finding Ion.

She took the cathedral steps two at a time, holding back an angry cry when she reached the top and was nearly drenched in the splash from a puddle of mossy water. Didn't anyone ever clean the stairs anymore? If she mentioned it, she'd probably end up _doing_ it; hardly fitting for a Fon Master Guardian.

Not that she was going to be here for much longer. They were _here_, it was time to get moving. She fought off a bit of rising excitement at what was about to happen. She and Ion had been discussing this just a few days ago, and she'd been putting off mentioning it to Mohs for as long as she could…she really wanted Ion to be successful, in this…

Anise blinked, resuming her frenzied pace. She burst through the doors of the cathedral and shot past several surprised Scorers and members of the Oracle Knights on her way to the chapel. If Ion was going to be anywhere at this time of day, he'd be there.

She stopped short, out of breath, when she found Maestro Tritheim in deep conversation with a group of people who looked just lost enough to probably be on a pilgrimage.

"Maestro Tritheim!" She flinched slightly at the way her surprised exclamation echoed around the chapel. Several too many sets of eyes turned to stare at her. Tritheim took a step toward her, noted her drenched, disheveled, out-of-breath condition and frowned deeply.

"Anise, what is the meaning of this?" His voice rose just enough to carry back over to her and not sound as though he was shouting. She caught her breath, trying her best to appear unconcerned despite the mud stains and the hair rain-plastered to her forehead.

"I was looking for Fon Master Ion," she said pleasantly, beaming at him. "Have you seen him, Maestro? He's usually here in the chapel by now." She didn't entirely have to fake a worried look. "I was surprised not to find him here. I'm sorry if I bothered you." Anise was quite satisfied with herself – that had certainly _sounded_ convincing enough.

Tritheim sighed, shaking his head slightly. "That's quite all right, Anise. Ion mentioned something about going to the library today—" He was cut short by Anise's abrupt turn as she headed back _out_ of the chapel at a flat-out run. He shook his head again, resigned, and turned back to the pilgrimage.

Anise practically flew out the chapel door, jumping down the stairs to the first floor two and three at a time. Her thoughts froze for a moment, though she kept moving, as she considered whether or not Ion could possibly be in that _other_ library. She didn't really think so, but…

It was probably a combination of her wandering thoughts and barely-controlled speed, with a bit of the water that she had tracked in earlier, that caused it all. She felt her foot slip, but couldn't bring her focus back fast enough to catch her balance, or even turn it into just a short fall. As a result, Anise rolled and tumbled the rest of the way down the stairs, coming to a stop when she collided with something at the bottom.

_Owww…_ Anise squeezed her eyes shut, trying to catch her breath. Thankfully, there probably hadn't been many people around to see that.

"Anise!" _Or not_, she thought, recognizing Ion's voice. She let out a breath and opened her eyes to see him standing beside her, looking down at her with some concern. "What happened? Are you all right?"

"Hi Ion," she managed, trying to rid herself of embarrassment. "I'm fine, really. I was just going a little too fast." She smiled at him, but was infinitely grateful when he offered a hand to help her up. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Ion's gaze shifted slightly, to a spot over her shoulder. "I apologize if we've caused you any trouble, sir."

"Oh, not at all." Anise turned around at the new voice, tilting her head slightly to look up at the man's face. "Though it's not every day I get attacked by children."

He was tall, was the first thing she noticed; it was less because she was short and more an effect of the _way_ he stood there, hands casually in his pockets. Anise got the distinct impression that he was in uniform, even though he wasn't – he was dressed like any of the other pilgrims she had just seen in the chapel. He wore his hair long and unbound, and a pair of wire-rimmed glasses framed vivid red eyes.

It was the eyes that really got her, though. She'd never seen that particular color before, and it made his look of put-upon irritation much more forceful. Realizing that _he_ was the object that had halted her descent, and with her face growing redder by the second, Anise backed up a step and winced. Ion frowned at her, reaching out and catching her shoulder.

"Are you sure you didn't hurt yourself, Anise?" He waited for her to steady herself again before letting go.

"That was quite a fall," the other man agreed cheerfully.

"I'll be okay, Ion. Really." Anise smiled brightly again, then looked back at the stranger. "I'm sorry for running into you like that."

"I'm sure you weren't _planning_ any inconvenience," he replied, his expression shifting to mild irritation as he brushed invisible dust from his clothing. Anise scowled at him, arms crossed. He was silent for a moment or two, before looking at Ion again and smiling slightly. "You must be Fon Master Ion."

"Yes, I am." Ion smiled politely at him. Anise fumed silently – not only had this person practically openly insulted her, but Ion had hardly taken notice! But that was just like Ion, to be so out of it. "Were you looking for me?"

The man glanced around quickly. "I am Colonel Jade Curtiss, of the Third Division of the Malkuth Imperial Forces." He nodded politely in acknowledgement of the Fon Master, returning his hands to his pockets. "We sent the signal ahead not too long ago. It hasn't reached you yet, I see."

"Anise, is this true?" Ion asked, looking over at her. She was reminded suddenly of the urgency of her previous actions, and she nodded.

"I wanted to get here quick so we could avoid trouble. Tritheim said you were in the library, so I was on my way there." Anise didn't feel she needed to finish the story. Ion had seen the end of it, after all. Mostly she wanted to get moving – and, now that she had time to consider it, to get dry.

"I'm not sure you quite made it," observed the colonel with an amused grin. Anise glared at him again, biting back a retort.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Anise!" Ion said hastily. "Colonel Curtiss, this is Anise Tatlin. She's my Fon Master Guardian. I sent her out to watch for the signal from Malkuth."

Jade studied Anise intently for several minutes; wet, muddy and annoyed, Anise studied him back. He was _smiling_ at her, in an uncomfortable mix of amusement, irritation and malice. She'd never seen a look quite like that before, and she wasn't sure she wanted to again. Finally, the smile not faltering for an instant, he pushed his glasses a bit higher on his nose and shook his head.

"When I was told I'd be speaking to the Fon Master and his head guardian, I was hardly expecting _this_." He barely gave Anise the time to think of some sort of scathing reply. "And, please, just Jade will be fine. We should be going, should we not, Fon Master?"

"Yes, I'm afraid we don't really have much time." Ion sighed, straightening his clothing in a manner Anise recognized as an attempt to appear more like his title seemed to imply. "You should go dry off, Anise."

"Right. I'll only be a minute. Don't leave without me, Ion!" She turned to make another dash, this time for her family's room.

"Oh? I didn't realize we were taking along a _second_ passenger." Anise froze. She glanced at Jade over her shoulder. He was _smirking_ at her. "The larger a group becomes, the more attention it will attract, after all. The world is a dangerous place with all those monsters about."

Anise's hands fisted. He was _enjoying_ this. Worse, he was making fun of her, mocking her position as Ion's guardian. She rounded on him, forgetting about what she must look like or what the accepted conduct was for someone in her position. She just got mad.

"I'm Ion's Fon Master Guardian. If he goes, I'm going, too. I am perfectly capable of defending myself, _Colonel_." His expression didn't change in the least, though he chuckled a bit, as though it hardly mattered whether she said so or not.

"She's telling the truth, Jade," Ion added, attempting to stop any sort of argument before it started. "She has to be able to protect me, after all." Anise wasn't sure if Ion's method of support was supposed to help her or embarrass her.

There was another long stretch of silence. They seemed to have reached something of a standoff, until Jade removed his hands from his pockets and spread his arms in a shrug of indifference. "Whatever the two of you decide to do, please do so quickly. We're running out of time."

Anise wasted no further time in returning to her room, changing into a clean, dry uniform and fixing her hair. She did her best to dry off Tokunaga, grabbed a small bag that she had packed with a few things in preparation, sighed and stared at the paper and pen sitting on the table by her bed.

She hated this part of her job. It just felt wrong. She rehearsed in her head what she might say to Mohs; in the end, she left only a scribbled note, making sure to mention her ignorance in much of the planning and the swiftness – not entirely untrue – with which they were made to depart from Daath.

_It'll be a while before he finds that, at least_, she thought in an attempt to console herself. With another sigh she left the room, hurrying back to where Ion and Jade were waiting for her near the cathedral entrance.

"Shall we be off?" Jade asked amicably, motioning toward the door with a flourishing mock bow. Four similarly-dressed men – none of them, Anise noted, dressed like soldiers – waited outside. Ion gave Anise a reassuring smile and walked out first, leaving her to trudge along at the back of the group, beside Jade.

_At least this time we have protection from all the rain_, she thought in an attempt to brighten her mood. But the rain had let up considerably, and was really nothing more than a light drizzle now. She looked up at the man walking beside her and shook her head. Ion would probably like it if she apologized.

"Hey, uh…I'm sorry for getting angry like that." It was halfhearted and mostly untrue, but she could tell Ion approved of the attempt, at least.

"Don't worry about it. It was rather endearing." Anise blinked. Had he really just said that? She met his bland smile with a more genuine bright one of her own.

"Do you really think so? Thank you, Colonel!"

"Is what I _would_ say, if I really thought so," he amended, red eyes laughing behind his glasses. Anise groaned in annoyance.

"You're _impossible_!" She would have gone on, but a glance at the road before them stopped her in her mental tracks. "Wait. We can't go this way."

"Why not?" Ion asked, turning around to look at her. "It's the fastest way out of Daath." In response, Anise grabbed Ion's wrist and pulled him after her down a side alley. Jade and his soldiers followed at a leisurely walk.

"Anise, where are we going?" Ion questioned once the surprise had worn off.

"_Do_ explain yourself sometime soon, Anise," Jade agreed. Rolling her eyes a bit, Anise turned to face them again, hands on her hips.

"You didn't see them?" Blank stares. "A whole bunch of Oracle Knights were coming up the road, and some of the God-Generals were with them. We don't exactly look inconspicuous," she added when there still wasn't much of a response.

"Ah, and the sight of the Fon Master being physically dragged down a side street in broad daylight is _certain_ not to arouse suspicion." Jade was giving her that unnerving smile again, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I doubt I would have come up with such a plan."

"You're perfectly welcome to go any way you want, _Colonel_," Anise shot back, "but there's no way we're about to get caught." She retained her grip on Ion and tried to ignore the part of her that kept reminding her of the note sitting in her room.

Jade appeared to consider this, watching the opening of the alley for a while. "The four of you may feel free to return to the rendezvous point by the least suspicious means possible. Anise, Fon Master Ion and I will meet you there before dark."

Anise had to admit that it was impressive the way none of them questioned him. Two of them instantly struck up a conversation and walked pleasantly out of the alleyway; the other two seemed to want to wait around for a while.

"Well then, shall we continue?" Jade smiled almost mockingly down at her. "Or didn't you really have a plan past this part?"

"There are dozens of ways out of Daath," Anise replied defiantly, turning on her heel and continuing down the alley and around the corner, Ion being pulled along behind her. "You just make sure no one's following us."

"Are you sure about this?" Ion asked warily. He'd never been in this part of the city before. He wasn't sure he wanted to come back. At least the rain had let up, for the most part, so they wouldn't get completely soaked.

"Positive." Anise led them around another corner and onto a more open street, but one much farther from the central hub of the city. "All right, stick to this side of the street, near the buildings. Most people won't be out yet because of the rain."

"I think you can let go now, Anise," Ion said with a soft laugh. She laughed, too, and released her iron hold on his wrist. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Ion." She shifted Tokunaga a bit on her back as she walked, feeling a bit better about the day now. She was even willing to let a bit of that excitement creep back into her head. At last, something was going to go _right_.

Until Mohs found her note and ruined it all again. Anise frowned at herself, angry now that her good mood had been so short-lived.

"You don't seem too happy, Anise," Jade remarked in a casual, upbeat tone. "I wasn't aware children like you could have such serious thoughts."

"What we're about to do is serious," Ion said, again trying to avoid a heated argument. "I'm sure Anise is just as concerned about this as you are, Jade." Anise glanced back at the colonel. He didn't appear concerned at all. And he was smirking again.

"Ion's right. If we want to stop a war from happening, we need to be serious."

"Such discussion should be saved for a safer location," Jade cautioned, glancing pointedly down the street ahead of them. Anise followed his gaze and nearly cursed in frustration.

"_More_ Oracle Knights?" She looked around quickly, taking hold of Ion's arm again. "Okay, come on, this way!" She led them at a run through another series of alleys and back streets, knowing full well how short they were on escape time. They didn't stop until they reached an impasse; a crude wooden fence, the ground around it piled with discarded barrels and crates, spanned the alley.

"I'm going to get dirty again, aren't I," Anise grumbled to herself. She shifted a few of the boxes around before testing their strength; when they held her, she climbed higher, until she was nearly level with the top of the fence.

"Come on, Ion," she said after peering down over the other side. "It's just as easy to get down over there as it is to climb up this side, and I'll help you."

"Well…" Ion looked skeptical, but he took Anise's hand when she offered it and pulled himself up. She climbed over first, he second, and the two of them were on the ground and staring at the fence for nearly a minute before Anise decided to go back up again.

"Are you _coming_, Colonel?" she asked exasperatedly.

"Not everyone is as young and agile as you are, Anise," the man replied, spreading his arms in a shrug again. "Give a tired old man a bit of time." He started to climb, so Anise dropped back down to the ground beside Ion, waiting. An instant later Jade appeared over the top of the fence. He made a tidy jump, landing perfectly balanced beside the other two and making a point of brushing the dust from his clothes.

"What _are_ the two of you staring at? Don't you know that's impolite?" Jade asked pleasantly as he adjusted his glasses a bit; they had shifted slightly during the climb. His tone changed again, to something more pleasantly irritated. "I trust you haven't gotten us lost, Anise?"

_Old and tired my foot_, Anise thought darkly. He wasn't even out of breath. "Of course I haven't. We're really close to the edge of the city now."

"I'm impressed, Anise," Ion said as they emerged from the alley into a wider side street. "I had no idea you knew the city this well."

"Yeah, well," Anise giggled, putting on her best charming smile. She felt a flood of relief when they reached the borders of the city without further incident. They had made it out; they would make it to Malkuth. This plan at least had a chance, where so many others hadn't.

"We appear to have made it," Jade observed. He studied the landscape for a moment, frowning. He removed his glasses, reaching into each of his pockets separately, and sighed in resignation before cleaning the lenses carefully on the edge of his shirt. Putting the glasses back on, he looked back at them. "That was quick thinking on your part, Anise."

"Oh." She blushed just slightly. "Thanks, Colonel."

"Pity it put us at such an inconvenience," he continued, that subtly malicious smirk reappearing on his face. "We'll have to keep up a good pace if we want to reach the rendezvous point on time. After you, Fon Master."

Ion smiled and stepped forward, walking beside Jade as the man led the way toward the place where they would meet with the rest of their escort to Malkuth. Anise trailed behind them, glaring intensely at the colonel's back. When he didn't take note of it, she sighed.

_We made it out of Daath, didn't we? _she asked herself. _That's what matters_. She looked at Ion and Jade again, now engaged in conversation; Ion was doing most of the talking, but he seemed to be enjoying himself. _And…it could be a lot worse_.

Anise smiled. She wouldn't let thoughts of Mohs intrude on her excitement, this time. This was turning out to be quite the adventure. Her smile faded a bit when she noticed that the rain had started to fall harder again. But even rain wasn't going to stop them.

"We'll have to be careful," Jade remarked casually as Anise caught up to them a bit. "Anise, I trust you'll be able to keep Ion and yourself out of danger?"

"Sure I will." She let a bit of pride slip into that. She _was_ good with fonic artes, especially with Tokunaga's help. "But why would I need to?"

"Monsters, of course." She waited for him to continue, but after a while it was apparent he didn't feel the need to elaborate. He just kept walking, hands in his pockets.

"Monsters?" Ion asked finally. "This close to Daath?"

"The world is a dangerous place, Fon Master," Jade said in a more serious tone than usual. "But I wouldn't be too worried if I were you. Between Anise and I, they shouldn't be much of a problem."

"Yeah, Ion, don't worry about it." Anise smiled reassuringly at him, and he smiled back.

"As long as Anise doesn't get in my way, we should be fine," Jade went on, as though she hadn't spoken.

"Colonel!" He grinned down at her, obviously amused by her reaction. "You just said you thought I could protect Ion, too!"

"Did I?" Jade feigned innocent confusion.

"Yes you did!" she snapped back. "Ion and I both heard you say it! Didn't we, Ion?" She rounded on the Fon Master, who appeared torn. He really didn't want to get involved in this.

A sound in the air above them prevented him from the necessity of a reply, and Jade's smile disappeared. Anise followed his gaze to the sky; two large flying creatures, resembling birds of prey in a way that was very unsettling, circled overhead despite the rain and the lateness of the day.

"Night owls out already?" Jade's voice still kept its unruffled tone, but one hand had left his pocket and was fiddling with his glasses. "Perhaps we'll get lucky and they will choose not to attack us." Anise stared at him – there _had_ to be more. "Of course, the chances of that happening now that they have spotted us are not even worth discussing."

"Figures." Anise pulled Tokunaga off her back, but held back from doing anything else with him just yet. "Stay behind me, Ion. I won't let those birds get you."

"It would be in your best interests to keep out of the way, Fon Master," Jade agreed, still staring intently at the birds. "You are the essential member of the group, after all."

One of the birds turned into a sharp dive, aimed right for Jade. He pulled his right hand out of his pocket, holding it in front of him. A long spear materialized in his grasp, and he stabbed upward as the monster neared the end of its descent. The night owl broke out of its dive, though, and missed the tip of the spear by less than a centimeter.

The other monster chose that moment to swoop toward Ion. Anise rushed to get in front of him as Tokunaga grew; the giant stuffed doll delivered a hard punch to the night owl, sending it veering off course.

"Thank you, Anise," Ion said shakily.

"Any time, Ion." Tightening her grip on Tokunaga, she went after the dazed bird again before it could recover. "Dragon Surge!" The doll slammed its arms into the monster as Anise called the strike arte, knocking it hard to the ground.

"_O mighty explosion._" Anise looked over her shoulder, catching a glimpse of Jade surrounded by the light of a fonic spell glyph. "Energy Blast!" The spell converged on the bird she was dealing with, turning it into little more than a pile of gore and feathers. Jade turned his attention back to his own enemy, moving a hair too slowly; the monster's clawed talons raked across his shoulder.

"Colonel!" Anise and Tokunaga barreled after the remaining night owl, the stuffed doll pummeling it with hard blows. "Cast another fonic arte! I'll keep it busy!" She glared coldly at the bird, which had flapped away and was coming around for another pass. "_Feel the hammer of light_." She waited until it was deep enough into its dive that it couldn't stop, and she and Tokunaga jumped backward as she released her arte. "Limited!" It wasn't extremely powerful, but the blast of light that burst down on the night owl was a perfect distraction.

"_Arise, o violent waters, to rout mine enemies_. Blessed Drops!" A blue flash this time, and powerful bursts of water enveloped the night owl; within seconds, it was no longer a threat. Anise let out a breath, landing on the ground as Tokunaga shrank.

"That was great, Anise!" Ion called as he rushed over to them. "I've never seen you fight like that before!"

"Aw, it was nothing, really," Anise laughed, rubbing the back of her head and beaming. "Just doing my job as your guard, Ion." She looked up as Jade joined them, spear nowhere in sight and hands back in his pockets. He was studying the slashes on his shoulder with an unconcerned appearance. "Are you all right, Colonel?"

"Hmm?" He looked down at her, smiling placidly. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about it. They're just scratches." He looked up at the sky again. "We really should get going. That battle wasted quite a bit of time."

"Thank you also, Jade," Ion said as they resumed walking. "You're very skilled with fonic artes. I'm sure Anise appreciated the help."

Anise situated Tokunaga on her back again, still smiling. "I'm sure I could have handled it, but it was nice to have backup," she agreed brightly. _He helped me. That monster got him because he _helped_ me._ She shook her head, mostly to herself. _And he _listened_ to me. _"And that _was_ pretty cool, Colonel." She meant it, too, this time.

"Really? Well, I'll have to use you as bait more often, then." He waited, but received no irritated reply. He looked back down at Anise, who was grinning at him. "Yes?"

"Oh, nothing. I just know you didn't really mean it."

"We'll say that, then, if you want." Jade shrugged, his smirk returning when Anise gave him a frustrated huff. His next motion, of the general nature of ruffling her dark hair, just to see what she would do, was cut short as his eyes narrowed.

He caught her by the shoulder with his left hand; the spear materialized again in his right, and he threw it past her. It slid through the body of a wolf-like monster not three feet away. The creature simply slumped to the side as the spear disappeared again.

"Oh…wow. Thanks, Colonel." Anise shook her head as she turned away from the monster's corpse, returning to a resolute walk. Jade could have come up with several responses to that.

"You're welcome, Anise," was what he settled for.

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I hope you liked it! I appreciate any comments you have, thanks. :D 


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